We had runners race in Detroit, Hershey, Philadelphia, Washington DC, New York, Richmond, and tons of other places. Our team was made up of 5k-ers to ultra runners and fast to slow.
Today's race was probably one of the coolest moments I have been able to be part of. I got to volunteer to cheer on my teammates and watch them all come in. I got to watch and hangout at the training team area. And it was the best seat in the house. Our team did incredible. Some really fast and some slow. But they all finished. #teamawesome did amazing. Some of my crew killed it, some ran their first halfs and some fought really hard. The moment that immortalized our team was when our last member of our team, Tiffany, came coming in. She was one of the last runners on the course. So think about this. It was in the 40s and it rained the whole time. Constantly dropping on our team as they chugged through Norfolk. Now if you run a 1:45 half but think about what its like to be out in that weather for 4 hours. 4 hours of dripping, soaking wet, chafing, chivering cold. Watching someone come in after 4 hours in this weather is awesome. This is what running is. Watching over 50 of your teammates jump the course to run your final teammate was incredible. It was the best running high I have ever had. Watching someone smile as like that and fall into her husband's arms was incredible. If it doesn't get you going then I don't know what will.
Another one of my favorite moments was when one of our teammates, Alyssa, was coming in after 3 hours and as she was coming through the finish, she looked at me, flicked me off with the biggest smile and she did it. She did amazing and the best part was she that she was with another teammate, Jessica, who probably had one of the worst starts to a race morning I have ever seen. Jessica got to the training team area literally minutes before the start with no bib, couldn't remember where she parked, and had a close family member pass the way the night before. Her face showed me everything I needed to know. She needed a friend. Thank god for the amazing staff at J&A for assisting her and finding her bib. But watching these two was incredible. Watching people transform themselves is what running is.
On top of all this, we also had a teammate get engaged. Her poor fiance had this magical plan of asking her at the finish line but things didn't work out as well as he thought. Instead, as he finished, he turned around and she was right behind him. LOL. But thinks worked out. We quieted the team at the tent, he got down on his knees, and he earned his victory. She said YES!
This weekend was my PR. I got to watch my friends kill it today. I got to watch my new friends make some amazing things happen. I got to watch my wife PR at her 5k. It was a perfect ending to a perfect season. Nobody is going to remember the weather. They are going to remember the stories, the engagement, the camaraderie, and all the smiles that we saw. I loved peaking over my head and looking at my teammates at the fence cheering on all the runners as they finish. This is who they are. This is who I am.
So thank you #wolfpack. You guys are all my spirit animals today.
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